As fitness becomes more popular, many manufacturers tend to create healthier substitutes for popular foods. We don't have to go far for an example, as Czech Virus also makesChoconuta healthy and tasty replacement for the popular but unhealthy spread.
And now we've got our hands on Mars protein bars, which are supposed to be an alternative to their unhealthy namesakes. How did we like them? Is the composition significantly better? Is it worth the investment? Find out in today's review.
Content of the review
At the beginning it remains to add that we tried two different rodsSnickers and Bounty, so you can look forward to a short comparison of both.
The ingredients are definitely not equivalent to a healthy bar
There's probably no need to argue at length about how classic bars like Mars or Bounty perform in terms of ingredients, becausethey are available in every supermarket and are vilified by every health food advocate. So I had a bit high expectations from the protein variants, which turned out to be a mistake right away. My impression of the composition of the Mars Protein bar is spoiled by several different things:
- The use of palm oil, which is a very controversial ingredient. Firstly, because of its significant ecological impact, but also because of its high content of saturated fatty acids associated with the development of atherosclerosis and high cholesterol.
- The content of inferior protein sources, as in addition to milk protein and milksoy protein isolate and hydrolysed collagen are also found in the Mars bar. While soy protein is still not such a problem, as the missing tryptophan is made up for by otherprotein sources, the use of hydrolyzed collagen has no justification and unfortunately spoils my impression.
- The use of other not entirely suitable raw materials, among which I certainly include invert sugar syrup, emulsifiers, colourings and flavourings, which definitely do not belong in a healthy bar.
The Bounty protein bar definitely fares better as it contains no low quality protein sources, just milk protein and whey protein concentrate. Overall, there are fewer added ingredients and its overall composition is therefore better. On the other hand, there is more or less the same content of simple sugars, i.e. less than 9g per 51g bar.
However, not to blame these bars, compared to the supermarket versions, they contain a much higher amount of proteins and enrichment.They retain a smaller amount of carbohydrates and fat, so from this point of view they are definitely a better choice. However, they do not succeed among protein bars.
When was the perfect time for Mars protein bars?
As you probably gathered from the previous paragraph, the ingredients are definitely not ideal and Mars bars are far from being a healthy bar. However, since I bought a few on a trial basis, I have used them mainly when II had a really strong craving for something sweet and calorie-dense, but I didn't want the classic supermarket bars. And I have to admit that if you have a craving, they are really reliable and in that case I definitely recommend them to you.
Taste-wise, you won't know the difference
If I was disappointed with the ingredients of these protein bars, I was really excited about the taste. Compared to their non-protein version, they taste exactly the same, so you won't notice any difference at all:
- Snickers and peanut butter (9.9/10) tasted absolutely fabulous. The consistency is quite soft, so you won't break your teeth on it. The bar has whole crunchy pieces of peanuts and is topped with caramel, which is an absolutely brilliant combination. Compared to the classic Snickers bar, perhaps the only difference is the texture, which is slightly more powdery due to the use of protein.
- Bounty (9.9/10) has defacto the same properties as Snickers. In terms of consistency, it is slightly stiffer and needs to be chewed a bit more, but taste-wise In terms of taste, it is almost identical to Bounty, I just feel that the taste of coconut is not as intense. Anyway, if you like Bounty and are looking for a lighter option with less unwanted ingredients, this is the obvious choice.
Price-wise, it's a perfectly average bar
When we were working on our ranking of the best protein barswe found that the vast majority of these bars cost between 39 and 59 pounds. One Snickers bar will set you back some outside of a discount promotion, which is a perfectly average price. The Bounty bar is the same, and therefore we have nothing to complain about in terms of price.
For example, Reflex produces a bar for , where the high price is really out of place, but if you compareMars bars with the competition, they are absolutely average, even though their price may seem high at first glance.
Final evaluation
To be honest, my feelings about Mars protein bars are very mixed. On the one hand there is a really rubbish composition that could certainly do with less additives, on the other hand a good price and a fabulous taste. If you just see the bar as an alternative to a regular Snickers during a cheat meal, it can serve you well.
But if you're looking for a bar that contains only the highest quality ingredients, you'll have to look elsewhere. The comparison above, for example, might help you with that , where Mars bars, despite their good taste and affordable price, have no chance of getting.
Other expert reviews
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- Czech Virus Protein Bar [review]: the best bars on the market or a big disappointment?
- Prom-IN Pure Bar [review]: the highest quality protein bar on the market
- Barebells Protein Bar [review]: the tastiest bars on the market